New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the seventh person in connection with the brutal murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last month, a spokesperson said on Sunday. The spokesman said that Farhad Mohammad Sheikh alias Babla was arrested on Saturday evening. The spokesperson said he was a “close criminal associate” of Riyaz Akhtari, one of the two main accused, and took an active part in the plot to kill the tailor. Kanhaiya Lal was killed With a cleaver inside his sewing shop on June 28.
The gruesome attack on a tailor by Riyaz Akhtari, also known as Riyaz Attari, was recorded by Ghaus Mohammad on a phone, and the video was posted online. He later said in a video that he killed Lal to avenge his alleged insult to Islam.
Both were arrested a few hours after the murder.
Besides the two, against whom the evidence is a self-shot video, the security agencies identified two more persons – Mohsin and Asif – who are believed to be part of a conspiracy to spread terror among the public at large.
Two more accused – Mohd Mohsin and Waseem – were later arrested on charges of being involved in a criminal conspiracy and helping the two main accused in conducting a recce of a tailor’s shop.
Investigative agencies have claimed to have found several Pakistani numbers on his WhatsApp account and said that one of the accused was part of some secret groups which were apparently for religious activities.
In one of these groups, it was alleged that Ghaus had been asked to do “something spectacular” to avenge his insults to Islam, and officials believed this could be a turning point. Where the “barbaric” act of killing the tailor could have been hatched.
He told that Mohsin’s place was used to sharpen the cleaver used in the murder and Asif had helped in recceing the tailor shop.
The NIA had on June 29 re-registered the case under the Anti-Terrorism Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after taking it over from the Rajasthan Police.
The case was initially registered at Dhanmandi police station in Udaipur.
“NIA re-registered the case against the accused under sections 452, 302, 153 (A), 153 (B), 295 (A) and 34 of the IPC and sections 16, 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act, 1967 Conspired, planned and committed the heinous murder…,” the agency’s spokesperson had said. “The accused persons had also circulated on social media a video of the criminal act claiming responsibility for the murder to spread panic and panic among the people across the country,” the spokesperson said.